I don’t know about you, but when my boys were babies and just starting solids, I carried around a bit of anxiety about food allergies. For many years, pediatricians advised parents to delay the introduction of peanut foods as a strategy for reducing the risk of developing a peanut allergy. But in 2015, a landmark clinical trial called the Learning Early About Peanut allergy (LEAP) study showed just the opposite: that introducing peanut-containing foods to infants was safe and actually led to a 81% reduction in the development of allergy. Fast forward to today and depending on a child’s risk of developing a peanut allergy, early introduction of peanut-containing foods to babies between 4 to 6 months of age is recommended.

To walk us through the guidelines from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease and to share tips for introducing peanut foods to babies, Sherry Coleman Collins, MS, RDN from the National Peanut Board joins me on this week’s podcast. She wants feeding your family to be a fun and carefree experience, so you’ll definitely want to hear her science-based advice on peanuts!

Sherry is a registered dietitian nutritionist who loves of all things peanuts. If you follow her on Instagram, you’ll see what I mean. Sherry is known as the @PeanutRD and she’s married to “Mr. Peanut RD.” She’s the mom of a four-year old little “peanut” and they have a “furry beast” at home who loves licking peanut butter from an almost-empty jar.

Tune in to find out the what and how of adding peanut foods to your baby’s diet (and your diet too), why peanuts are so nutritious, and to get my healthy new soft serve “ice cream” recipe made with frozen berries, bananas, and peanut butter.

Head on over to the blog to enter to win this awesome PEANUT LOVERS giveaway. One lucky winner (U.S. only please) will win the following items compliments of the National Peanut Board: Peanut Envy T-shirt, Tru-nut Powdered Peanut Butter, PB Crave Flavored Peanut Butter, Snack Peanuts, The GFB Gluten Free Bar, Short Stacks Peanuts cookbook by Steven Satterfield, National Peanut Board (NPB) Tote Bag, NPB Journal, sticky note pad and Pen, Peanut Stress Reliever, and FAQ brochures about early introduction of peanut foods for infants.

Show Highlights:

The truth about peanut allergies and the prevalence here in the U.S.

Dispelling some of the common myths and uncovering the mysteries of food allergies.

CDC Voluntary Guidelines for Managing Food Allergies in Schools and Early Care and Education Programs

As for pregnant and nursing mothers, Sherry tells me the guidelines state that there is no evidence to recommend removing allergens from the diet of moms without food allergies. In fact, some studies have shown a reduced risk to a child for developing peanut and tree nuts when mom eats peanuts and tree nuts during pregnancy. Pregnant and nursing mothers should eat a diverse diet that includes nutrient-rich foods including peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, dairy and fish, among other foods.

Comments

Thanks Liz for posting the link to Leanne Brown’s book. I checked our local library and I couldn’t find it and then I realised that I could download a whole 89 pages from your site! Thank you for that.

I’ve only started reading Leanne’s book but it has my attention… It has caught me a little ‘off guard’ to consider that for some, items like olive oil or soy sauce are a ‘semi – expensive’ item that needs to be budgeted for. 46 million people rely on SNAP to eat. It really shows how important education is in this instance.

I also just listened to your podcast on peanut allergies…. We luckily don’t struggle with peanut allergies in our house. I have downloaded that fantastic recipe for toast with peanut butter and Sriracha sauce! Can’t wait to try it!! Yes, I belong to the cilantro camp too! (Except here we call it coriander!)

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About Liz

I’m Liz Weiss, a registered dietitian nutritionist, mom of two, and cookbook author. I’m passionate about making healthy family food that’s fun for everyone, so I welcome you to explore my blog for recipes, nutrition insights, and mealtime inspiration.